Think You Know Cary?

Test your knowledge of our community by taking the following quiz. See the answers.

1. The fastest growing segment of Cary's population between 1990 and 2000 was:
A. School-aged children 5-19
B. Young professionals 20-34
C. Retirees 65-84
D. Elderly 85+

2. Which of the following is against the law in Cary?
A. Red roofs
B. Outdoor burning
C. Shiny diners
D. More than two dogs

3. Cary’s first mall was:
A. Cary Towne Center
B. South Hills
C. Saltbox Village
D. Crossroads

4. Which intersection in Cary had the first stoplight?
A. Maynard Road at Walnut Street
B. Academy Street at Dry Avenue
C. Academy Street at Chatham Street
D. Maynard Road at Chatham Street

5. The Town of Cary was established in:
A. 1755
B. 1781
C. 1871
D. 1959

6. Which of the following is the correct explanation for why Cary is a “town” and not a “city”?
A. Cities must have a population of over 125,000
B. North Carolina law only allows two “cities” per county
C. Changing the designation from “town” to “city” requires an act of the General Assembly to change a town’s charter
D. Cary is not large enough yet geographically to be a “city”

7. Cary is roughly the same size as:
A. Disneyworld
B. Ni‘ihau, Hawaii’s "Forbidden Island"
C. The Mall of America
D. Yosemite National Park

8. When and where was Cary’s first known time capsule buried?
A. 1946 at the old Cary Elementary School
B. 1980 at Cary High School
C. 1976 at the US Post Office on Academy Street
D. 1921 at the Page-Walker Hotel

9. Which of the following parks is Cary's oldest?
A. Urban Park
B. Lexie Lane Park
C. Dunham Park
D. Rose Street Park

10. Which of the following serves as the background for other elements in the Town of Cary’s official seal?
A. Clover Leaf
B. Fig Leaf
C. Dogwood Flower
D. Holly Leaf

11. Cary's unofficial nickname once was:
A. First in Education
B. Heart of Carolina
C. Gourd Capital of the World
D. The Good Neighbor Town

12. Where was Cary's first and only outdoor drive-in movie theater located?
A. Where Cary Towne Center mall is today
B. Where McSwains Mobile Home Park is located today
C. Where Northwoods Shopping Center is located today
D. Where Western Wake Medical Center is today

13. Where was Cary Town Hall originally located?
A. Town Hall has always been at the current location
B. At the fire station site on North Academy Street
C. South of West Chatham Street, adjacent to the Ashworth Drug Store building
D. North of West Chatham Street, east of Jones Street near the Fidelity Bank location

14. Who was Cary’s longest serving Mayor?
A. A.F. Page
B. H. Waldo Rood
C. Fred G. Bond
D. Koka Booth

15. How many different women have served on the Cary Town Council in the last 133 years?
A. 3
B. 5
C. 19
D. 67

16. Which historic building still standing in Cary was the home to a 19th century editor of The Atlantic Monthly and ambassador to Great Britain?
A. Page-Walker Arts & History Center
B. Ogle House
C. Mathews House
D. Jordan Hall

17. Where was the first Cary Fire Department located?
A. Downtown just south of the current location of the Ashworth Drug Store
B. At its current location on North Academy Street
C. Downtown on Dixon Avenue near the Citizens Convenience Center
D. Where the downtown post office is currently located

18. What is Cary’s busiest intersection?
A. Cary Parkway and Kildaire Farm Road
B. Walnut Street and Meeting Street
C. Davis Drive and High House Road
D. Harrison Avenue and Weston Parkway

19. What is Cary’s busiest street?
A. Tryon Road near Waverly Place
B. Walnut Street north of Meeting Street
C. Old Apex Road near Cary Parkway
D. Academy near Chatham

20. Where will you find Cary’s highest natural elevation?
A. At Hemlock Nature Preserve off Kildaire Farms Road
B. In front of the old Cary Elementary School at the end of South Academy Street
C. In the parking lot of Embassy Suites between North Harrison Avenue and Weston Parkway
D. At the clock tower in Preston

21. North Carolina’s first public high school still stands in Cary, now as:
A. Page-Walker Arts & History Center
B. Old Cary Elementary School
C. Mathews House
D. Jordan Hall

22. Before you is beautiful golf course, behind you is a nationally recognized greenway, to your left is a popular park named after a former Cary mayor, and to your right is a nature preserve with rare trees found in this area. Where are you?

23. Before you is a beautiful lawn, to your left is a clump of tall pines, to your right is a body of water, and above you are hundreds of twinkling “stars”. Where in Cary are you?

24. Before you is a body of water, to your right is an open field, and to your left is a boathouse. Where in Cary are you?

25. To your right are art and M&M’s, to your left is a grand piano, and in front of you are piles of fresh vegetables. Where in Cary are you?

26. Down to your left is a man reading a newspaper, down to your right is a fountain, ahead of you is a shrub-lined parking lot, and above you is an arbor. Where in Cary are you?

27. You are walking in woods that feature small cliffs reminiscent of the mountains. Some of the trees you see are evergreen species that are not typically found in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Where in Cary are you?

28. What significant Cary African-American educational advocate and landowner has a street named for him?
A. Ernest Bunn Ferrell
B. Arch Arrington, Sr.
C. Clyde Evans
D. James Rogers

29. Which of the following is NOT true about oldest privately owned home still occupied in Cary?
A. It was built by Nathaniel Jones in the Federal-style between 1803 and 1825
B. President Polk stopped for lunch
C. The governors of North and South Carolina remarked on the length of time between drinks here
D. It is located on Chatham Street

Click here to see the answers. Good luck!